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So this is how the story goes. In 1826 a London merchant decides to buy some cloth from a weaver in Hawick, a town in the Scottish borders famous for its cloth production. Very happy with his order, he decides to get some more but – crucially – misreads the weaver’s dashed handwriting. Instead of ‘twill’ this Londoner reads ‘tweed’, and assumes this new cloth must take after the River Tweed which runs fast and clear through the textile areas of lower Scotland. ‘Tweed’ and not ’twill’ has been the term used ever since.

New to London? Here for business or perhaps a little shopping? Looking for a specific building? These days we might use the internet or our smartphones to find the right places and navigate around the city, technology of which the Victorian visitor to London could only dream.

London IS the home of menswear. Fact. And we should know! Just look at the museum’s costume collection. Tracing back 2,000 years the collection reveals Roman sandals, medieval leather, 17th century waistcoats and the evolution of the three-piece suit from military to civilian style via post-War subversions. And let’s not forget the iconic styles that London has given the world, from the bowler hat to the brogue, bondage trousers and the trench coat.

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